Tag: women writers
On Deadlines
A little over a month ago, at the end of October, I agreed to write this piece about deadlines. At that time, my editor was expecting me to deliver a draft of my new novel by Christmas. As I type, there are two and a half hours left until the end-of-November deadline for this article […]
Living With Your Characters
I was lucky enough to meet the legendary Iris Murdoch, years ago. I was one away from her at a dinner table and when the man between us left for a moment, and being in the early stages of a first novel, I leaned over to ask if she could possibly give me any tiny […]
Oversharing….Or Being Authentic
My mother had a wise old saying… “Keep your own counsel.” Some decades ago, personal information was kept private. We didn’t discuss politics, religion or how much money we made. That was distasteful. Today, encouraged by social media, we are more open and willing to share. For women who suffer from abuse, this can be […]
Dear Mr Bezos…
Dear Mr. Bezos: Your net worth just passed $95 billion. A mind-numbing number. Do you ever pause at a price tag? Worry over paying the bi-annual property tax? Waver between buying gas for your car (or paying the electrical bill for the Tesla) and taking mass transit? Or, as most authors do, use the blank […]
Transformations: From Brain Injury Survivor to Writer
It didn’t even occur to me write about it. It wasn’t as if it was an important part of the story. In fact, it was practically irrelevant. Yes, I had thought of suicide, but I didn’t have it in me, as I’d told the neuropsychologist who was evaluating me after my brain surgeries. I have […]
Book Babies or Book Lovers?
I know a lot of women writers who also happen to be mothers. It’s not unusual for them to refer to their books as their “babies.” After all, they conceived the idea, became a bit faint and nauseous during the writing process, faced insecurities and fears about their abilities to actually follow through and do […]
Where Do I Find Books To Read?
Discovering new books to read is becoming increasingly difficult in the current book market—at least for me—and I don’t think I’m the only one who’s feeling that way. Lately, I’ve seen posts on social media from frustrated readers begging for book recommendations. They claim they can’t find anything that’s holding their attention and that everything […]
A Pantser’s Guide to Turning Rough to Ready in one Pass
I have tried, Lord have I tried, to plan out a novel before tackling the actual writing, but after nine novels, I think it’s safe to say, I’m a die-hard pantser. For those who don’t know, a pantser is an author who dives into drafting without a plan, flying by the seat of her pants. […]
Combining First Person Narration with Viewpoint Characters: Why? How? Where?
While once upon a time the use of the first person narrator in fiction was seen as “barbaric”, that time is long past. It is now a popular narrator voice, and it fits well with the feminist opposition to so called “objective” knowledge—something embodied in omniscient third person narrator. Moreover, we are all keenly […]
Can We Have It All?
As I sit down to write this blog, I ask myself the two questions I often have to answer. The first, do I want to do it? The second, do I have time? The response I generally come to is this… If I want to do it, I’ll have to make time! Like so many […]
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